Developing a Culture of Inclusion

Fostering a culture of inclusion is necessary to develop a campus in which both students and employees can thrive. This deliberative developmental transformation can be attained through a change process in which inclusive behaviors are the expectation.

By embracing diversity and inclusion, we can intentionally create space for positive outcomes and cultivate an environment in which all individuals are treated with dignity and where all individuals feel valued and accepted without biases based on differences. As Maya Angelou said, “in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

Vice President & Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Sally Selden

Phase 1

Lynchburg has committed itself to raising awareness of both similarities and differences while creating an understanding of this diversity to encourage reflection amongst its community members.

Phase 2

The development of the Inclusive Excellence vision is a collaborative effort, campus-wide.

Phase 3

As Lynchburg retools management concepts and principles, best practices are necessary. Considerations: how community members and their ideas are valued and utilized; how they partner within and across departments; how they feel they belong and how new community members are attracted to the organization; how people feel connected to each other and to the organization and its goals; and how the organization continuously fosters flexibility, choice, and diversity.

Phase 4

The adoption of HR systems and practices is important for the transformation of an organization to become more inclusive. Pless and Maak (2004) determine that in order for the the HR principles to work, they have to be translated into observable and measurable competencies. These competencies include goals within recruitment, performance evaluation, training and development, reward and compensation.

The goals and initiatives found within the Inclusive Excellence plan can be tied to the four phases of building an inclusive culture. A review of annual campus surveys administered to students, faculty and staff will be utilized to gather data concerning the progression of goals.